applesaucedream | Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

Congratulations, dreamers of Manhattan - you get to go to Oxford! It's probably not the Oxford with which any of the dreamers are familiar, though. This one is a bit… different.

The dreamers will find themselves in Jordan College, the oldest and grandest of all the colleges in this version of Oxford, a rambling structure that includes dining halls, libraries, classrooms, chapels, courtyards, a botanical garden, and an extensive network of cellars and tunnels beneath the ground. There are plenty of places to explore!

Sharp-eyed dreamers might notice some subtle architectural quirks. Doors look larger than they'd need to be for solely human use, and every staircase has a little ramp built in - not large enough for a wheelchair, but large enough for, say, a small, scampering animal.

And speaking of - the dreamers are a bit different here, too. Upon arrival, they will realize that they now possess dæmons: physical manifestations of their souls. Be gentle with them; they're undoubtedly confused by being suddenly made manifest. They come with all the side effects and complications inherent with dæmons. They can't travel more than a few yards from their person without it being painful for both parties… and it probably won't take the dreamers long to realize they shouldn't be touching one another's dæmons, what with the shared sensations and all. Still, it's a rare opportunity for the dreamers to chat with their own souls - and the souls of others.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Mod note: you know the drill. All players and characters are welcome, regardless of whether they're current members or not. Characters will remember or forget any and all dream events at players' discretion.]

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Magic mind-altering books. That'd do it for Zagreus. Gabriel sighs, sad to see Johnny so upset. His explanation isn't exactly clear, but it's clear enough for him to know that it must have been a traumatic experience.

He scoots forward a bit, his hand moving from Johnny's shoulder to his hair, brushing it back before returning to his shoulder.

"You're not hollow. I could see, if you were, but Nova there is proof enough that you've got something good inside of you. Or something small and furry, at least." He tips his head to look Johnny in the face while Venia lets out another purr that turns into a hum, trying to calm down the little creature.

The corner of his mouth lifts into a semblance of a smile. "Broken things can be repaired. You can do that. And I can help, if you need it."

Johnny is desperate to avoid eye contact, certain that he will really break down if he looks at Gabriel now. He doesn't deserve this kindness, and he knows if he voices that sentiment Gabriel will only deny it further, and that makes him feel all the more miserable, a fucking ouroboros of negative emotion.

Gabriel's final statement does resonate with him, though. He knows it's true. He almost did manage to repair himself a little, before he came here, before Zagreus knocked him back down. And for whatever goddamn reason, there are people who want to help him, have helped him. Powerful fuckin people. Nice people.

He's honestly not sure what to do with that.

Nova hesitates, then reaches up to give Venia a friendly little nudge before shifting away and back over to Johnny. She perches on Johnny's foot and looks up at Gabriel.

"He's having trouble talking right now," she says, "but he wants to thank you, for everything."

Gabriel looks down at the rabbit in surprise, then nods to it. "Yeah, of course."

Instead of trying to get more out of Johnny now about what had happened with Zagreus, he pushes his chair back and stands, then offers his hand. Maybe allowing Johnny some time to process will do him good. "Want to take a walk? This place is almost like Oxford. I'm wondering if the outside matches." He shrugs, "Or anywhere else you want to go. I'm not picky. Just don't say Vegas."

Johnny manages a laugh at Vegas - not a very good laugh, sort of dry and abrupt, but it's something. He shakes his head as if physically dislodging all that would weigh him down, takes Gabe's hand and pulls himself up.

"Okay," he says. "Anywhere, huh?" He's not particularly keen on staying here. All this stuffiness doesn't really agree with him. And he's sort of curious to see what Gabe can do. He doesn't make a habit of thinking of places he'd like to go, since it's never been an option, and now he's hard-pressed to come up with anything. When he does get an idea, he wonders if it's too personal, and he gives Gabe a hesitant sideways glance. "What about... Jaipur?"

Gabriel snaps his fingers and in the next instant, the location has changed. They're sitting in the back of a dimly lit bar. It seems to be underground, evidenced by the small high-set window in the room opposite and the lighting set up along the ceiling.

This room is just big enough for a pool table (on top of which Venia is lying down) and a booth where Gabriel has materialized the rest of the group. The other room has an aged disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and a bar tended by a middle-aged man that seems to be drifting off, despite the out of date music playing over the jukebox.

"Told you it was a dive." Gabe says, sipping from the drink that has appeared with the new environment. "I could show you the city, if you like. Much more impressive."

Johnny blinks around himself in a moment of surprise, then laughs brightly, clapping his hands together. "Fuck, that's awesome," he says, and slides out of the booth. Nova scoots out from underneath the table, and he bends to pick her up again.

"This is a shithole!" she comments.

"I love it," agrees Johnny. "I do want to see the city, though. How far does this extend?"

He shrugs. "As far as you want it to. I went just about everywhere in this city." He sets his drink down, stands and stretches his arms up while Venia hops down off of the pool table. "The palace quarter is closer to the center of the city. If you want to see the pretty stuff, I'll make a shortcut."

He smiles at Johnny's shift in mood, and Venia comes up and headbutts him affectionately, like a cat might. He reaches his hand up, and scratches where feathers meet fur.

Johnny nods distractedly, already heading outside. After what he's been through in his last several dreams, all of this is a thoroughly welcome diversion.

Stepping out into narrow streets, loud crowds and bright sunlight is a bit of a shock. He stops short, holding Nova close to him, waiting for Gabriel to follow.

"Holy shit," he murmurs.

Gabriel emerges from the building, Venia striding at his shoulder. The crows around them doesn't seem all that bothered by the appearance of a mythical creature. If anything, they're indifferent to it, and they easily pass through the crowd as they make their way down the narrow street.

"It everything you thought it'd be?"

"I mean... I don't even know what I thought it would be," says Johnny absently. "But it's amazing."

He stares around, overwhelmed by the heat, the scent of everything - it all feels so real. He glances back at Gabriel, smiling dumbly, not even aware of how much more relaxed he's become. "How are you doing this?"

"How do you create whatever you see in dreams?" Gabriel smiles back, glad that Johnny has come around so easily. "I'm advanced-class for dream manipulations and general illusion fun-times."

He takes a look around at the scene, and a flock of bright birds takes the opportunity to fly overhead. "I stayed here for a while. That makes it even easier."

"It's just so much," says Johnny. Nova makes an excited little noise as she watches the birds. "I mean my dreams don't have this much detail even when I know I'm dreaming."

Johnny turns to look at him again, this time critically. "What else can you do?"

"Lots." Venia answers simply, and Gabriel chuckles.

He expands on Venia's answer, wondering just what Johnny wants to know about. "In what category? Magical? Musical? Philosophical? Sexual? I'm good at a lot of things." He grabs an orange off of one of the street carts and tosses it to Johnny. "Here, try that."

"Uh." Johnny fumbles with Nova and barely manages to actually catch the orange. Nova sighs and squirms out of his arms and up to his shoulder, where she perches like a bird. Johnny peels the orange slowly, visibly stalling before he answers the question.

"Magical, I guess," he says. He peers at Gabe, wondering if it's rude to ask whether or not he's entirely human. He sort of assumed, based on appearances, but... something's a little off about him, something Johnny can't really put his finger on. He doesn't know how powerful humans can reasonably get before they stop being human.

He stalls from asking that by slipping an orange section into his mouth. It's fucking delicious, of course.

"Well, I already told you some of that. You saw the teleportation. Transmogrification. Illusions." He gestures around them. "Dream manipulations on whatever scale you want. Other stuff." He shrugs. If Johnny wants to know about something in particular, he can ask about it.

"Why?" He smirks. "Have something specific in mind?"

"I, um... I don't know," Johnny admits. He didn't really have anything specific, it just seemed the question to ask. "I guess it just seems like a lot."

He hesitates. Maybe it's the cavalier attitude he displayed at the notion of Zagreus coming after him. Maybe it's the griffin. Maybe it's everything Johnny's seen him do, or just a feeling. But he swallows his trepidation and asks bluntly, "Are you human?"

"Nope." Gabriel answers simply then amends, "Wellll sort of?" He does have a human body, so he figures that it's not unreasonable to claim himself as somewhat human. Venia doesn't seem to agree. The griffin snorts incredulously and Gabe throws an unamused glare in their direction.

"Demi-God is more accurate. A plain ol' god, maybe, depending on the mythology you're working with."

Johnny stops so abruptly that Nova has to scramble to stay upright on his shoulder - although she's shocked too, quivering like crazy.

"Wait, what?" Johnny wheels back on Gabriel. He doesn't know what he'd expected, but apparently it wasn't freaking GOD. "You're a god?"

"Johnny, cool it," hisses Nova next to his ear. "You're sputtering."

"The god of WHAT?" Johnny demands, heedless. A few ridiculous options flash past him: bar sports. Flirting. Alcohol. Wait, that's a real one. He almost seems like a Dionysus, but Johnny keeps this to himself.

What's much, much more absurd is that, if Gabriel is to be believed, this means a fucking deity has been hitting on him, in all his fucked up mortal glory, like he's goddamn Persephone, or - wait, was she even one of the mortal ones? Whatever.

"You're a god and you want to have sex with me?" he says.

"Johnny you just said that out loud!" says Nova, an octave up from her usual voice.

Edited 2014-04-18 09:16 (UTC)

"Abso-fucking-lutely, my friend." He lifts a hand to pat Johnny on the cheek when he gets to him. He doesn't linger there, but the back of his hand brushes softly against Nova's fur as he moves away. He's held souls in his hands before, but part of him is curious just how much difference a soul given shape changes things.

He takes a few more steps before he swivels around to make sure Johnny is following and alright. "People are always asking me god of what, like ya need a specialty before they let you into the pantheon." He laughs and a smirk spreads across his face. "They used to call me the god of mischief. I've got the skill set."

He flinches instinctively when Gabriel's hand transfers from his cheek to Nova's fur; his pulse quickens, anticipating the pain and intense violation he felt when Zagreus held her. But it's not like that at all. It still feels fuckin weird, like Gabriel just casually grabbed his crotch, or... something much more than that, something he doesn't really have an analogue for. But there's something warm and comforting this time, something that, for a moment, draws him inexorably closer (his legs are too stiff to move but he wants to, for that instant).

Nova feels it too. She shivers slightly, not with fear but with a strange sort of exhileration. He's not like Zagreus, she's thinking, transmitting to Johnny, somehow. We trust him.

She's right. Maybe that makes all the difference. Johnny reaches up to stroke absently at her fur, a little bit like a reclamation. This is simple: it feels right when he touches her, and wrong when Zagreus does. Gabe's passing contact was something altogether different.

Words are a struggle; he wants to address what just happened, but at the same time he really, really doesn't. "Well, that sounds appropriate," he says weakly.

He can feel Nova wanting to get down, so he lets her down. For a moment he's irrationally nervous she's going to scurry over to Gabriel, but she cuts for Venia instead, brazenly clambering up on top of the griffin's massive front paw.

"People used to leave me offerings. That was kinda nice. Lots of honey. I liked that."

Venia lowers into a bow, offering their head up as a ladder for Nova to get up onto a higher spot. "Hop up, little one," Venia says kindly. "Wouldn't want you getting underfoot."

When the rabbit is secure and safe, Venia pads over to Johnny. Gabriel is a few steps away, still waiting for both of them, but he's watching this exchange with curiosity. Venia cocks their head to the side and asks, "What'd it feel like? He's curious, but he won't ask."

"Oh, huh," Johnny comments, stupidly, as if he has any remotely insightful thoughts about that.

Nova is delighted to be allowed to climb up on Venia's head, and she wastes no time nestling comfortably in little hollow where feathers meet fur on their back. Johnny watches as Venia approaches him, sort of subconsciously avoiding eye contact with Gabriel.

Venia's question, however, blows that right out of the water.

"Uhhhh," says Johnny, blushing hotly, feeling suddenly and tremendously exposed. "Um, I don't know. Weird. Kind of like... nothing I've ever felt before."

"Zagreus did it too," offers Nova. "He picked me up. That felt horrible. This was different."

"Yeah," says Johnny, stepping in before she can, mortifyingly, say more (and just after she got on his case for blurting things out, god). "Yeah, it was... way different."

He looks at Venia, wondering without asking if Gabe would let him return the gesture.

"You're blushing," Gabriel observes, mostly to see if it'll get any worse if he points it out. He doesn't like the implication that he and Zagreus had the same idea, but Johnny doesn't seem to view it the same way at all, which is good enough for him. "I hope you mean good-different."

Gabriel is a little hesitant about offering the same thing in return. Normally, humans can't even handle seeing his Grace, much less touching it. But this is unprecedented, and he assumes that Venia will be safe for Johnny to touch.

Venia lowers their head to Johnny's level and Gabe says "Go for it, if you want. Turnabout's fair play and all that."

"And he wants to know what it'll feel like," Venia adds.

It definitely does get worse. Johnny lowers his head and pushes his hand over the lower part of his face, momentarily wanting to disappear. This is so, so much more difficult to take in stride now that he knows Gabe is a freaking god.

"O-okay," he says, glancing nervously at Venia. It's kind of nice, having Venia to be straight-forward when Gabe won't. "Um."

He doesn't know what to say. He reaches out slowly, like he's about to touch fire. He's not sure what he expects; much like how Nova feels texturally just like a regular rabbit, Venia's feathers feel like... feathers. Pleasant, soft, tickly. He wants, instinctively, to give them a good stroke, but he pulls his hand back quickly instead, looking at Gabriel for a reaction.

A human touching his Grace is a strange and interesting experience. Gabriel knows that Johnny doesn't have any bad intentions here, so he's not on the defensive, but he's not entirely sure either. It's a warm feeling, and intimate in a way that he's not sure he wants to be with Johnny.

He longs, suddenly, for the TARDIS, for Kali - for someone that he loves to be standing here in Johnny's place ready to dip their fingers in between feathers and fur.

"That's...not bad." He stands a little stiffer than he normally might, but his voice sounds playful, and neither he nor Venia step away.

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